(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-765I-3a, J.C. & W.H. Lippincott PA

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from J.C. & W.H. Lippincott, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania business. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. With 4 known varieties, J.C. & W.H. Lippincott produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 765I-3a) is common. Most Civil War store cards carry no date; this token was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage era. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Copper strikings are generally the most common metal variant for Civil War store cards, as copper was the standard planchet material mimicking the federal cent. With 4 cataloged varieties, J.C. & W.H. Lippincott was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 765I-3a